1. INT CLASSROOM -- DAY
MZ. MOLE is standing in front of the class, teaching a lesson on beetles. (Maybe she’s pointing to a poster of beetles, or she’s drawn some beetles on a chalk board, or she’s holding drawings of beetles taped to sticks.)
Mz. MOLE
So, as you can see, beetles really are amazing. Their hard shells help protect them from... From...
Mz. Mole pauses and lifts up her nose.
<SFX:
SNIFF>
MZ. MoLE (CONT’D)
Does anyone else smell something stinky?
Cut to the kids, who shrug.
ELINOR
I don’t.
ARI
Nope.
OLIVE
Me neither. But we don’t have your amazing nose, Mz. Mole.
Back on Mz. Mole, who walks around, following her nose. The kids get up to follow her. After a moment, Mz. Mole opens a drawer and pulls out a bag with a rotten banana.
MZ. MOLE
Aha! A rotten banana. I must have forgotten all about it.
The kids
<SFX:
EWW>
.
MZ. MOLE (CONT’D)
Hey now, don’t knock stinky smells! Did you know that some stinks can be USEFUL?
The kids
<SFX:
GASP, HUH?>. Mz. Mole walks back to the front of the class, puts the book down on her desk, and pulls out a book.
MZ. MOLE (CONT’D)
It’s all right here in this book about beetles.
2. EXT OUTSIDE (BOOK) -- DAY
We see a
pinacate
beetle standing on the sandy desert ground.
Mz. MOLE (O.S.)
This is a
pinacate
beetle. It lives in the desert. You won’t find it hiding under a rock - it struts across the sand like it doesn’t have a care in the world.
The beetle struts across the sand, looking proud of itself.
MZ. MOLE (O.S.) (CONT’D)
But it’s a big juicy beetle and it really stands out against the sand. Isn’t it worried about being eaten?
The beetle shakes its head or swats a paw, looking unconcerned.
MZ MOLE (O.S.)
You see, the
pinacate
beetle has a secret power. Can you guess what it is?
ELINOR (O.S.)
Does it have an extra-strong shell?
ARI (o.S.)
Can it make a scary noise?
OliVE (O.S.)
Or fly super fast?
A hungry lizard appears in front of the beetle. It licks its lips.
MZ. MOLE (O.S.)
Let’s observe. Here comes a hungry lizard.
The beetle flips around and does a headstand, pointing its butt at the lizard.
MZ. MOLE (O.S.) (CONT’D)
First, the beetle does a headstand.
The lizard steps a little closer.
MZ MOLE (O.S.)
Then, it sprays a jet of stinky liquid from a gland in its body.
A jet of reddish-brown stinky fluid flies out and hits the lizard in its face. The kids
<SFX:
EWW>
or laugh in surprise. The lizard looks disgusted and runs away. The beetle resumes its confident strut.
MZ. MOLE (O.S.)
Saved by the sink!
3. INT CLASSROOM -- DAY
Mz. Mole puts down the book.
MZ. MOLE
See, nature uses smells in all kids of amazing ways.
She holds up the banana, looking at it thoughtfully.
MZ. MOLE (CONT’D)
So, maybe we should keep this stinky banana around?
All the kids say
<SFX:
NO>.
MZ. MOLE (CONT’D)
I’m joking. But I know a place where its stink will fit right in.
ELINOR
The desert?
MZ. MOLE
The compost pile!
<SFX: KID LAUGHTER> as Mz. Mole leads them out to the compost pile.
THE END.
EWW125 Interstitial D2 25-Nov-19
.
<SFX:
AWWWW>
WHOOOA>
WHOOOOAA>
spiderling
ELINOR WONDERS WHY
127 Interstitial:
MZ
. Mole Story time: STINKY SURPRISE
Written by
Rosemary
Mosco
Follows "Follow Your Nose"
Curriculum: The kids learn that some animals use stinky smells to protect themselves.
Learning Goals:
LS2c:
Compare how the external body parts of animals and plants are the same and/or different. [The kids learn that
pinacate
beetles store a stinky liquid in glands in their bodies.]
LS2d:
Explore how different external features of an animal help it survive in its environment. [The kids learn that this stinky liquid helps keep
pinacate
beetles safe.]
FIRST DRAFT:
11-DEC-19
ELINOR/OLIVE/ARI
MZ MOLE
ELINOR
ARI
OLIVE
OR
(V.O.)
(O.S.)
(O.C.)
(CONT'D)
(SUBTITLE)
INT
EXT
I/E
2
4
3
THE END.
INT CLASSROOM -- DAY
EXT OUTSIDE (BOOK) -- DAY
DAY
NIGHT
AFTERNOON
MORNING
EVENING
LATER
MOMENTS LATER
CONTINUOUS
THE NEXT DAY
CUT TO:
FADE IN:
FADE OUT.
FADE TO:
DISSOLVE TO:
BACK TO:
MATCH CUT TO:
JUMP CUT TO:
FADE TO BLACK.
Order
Title
Location
ELINOR
ELINOR